Lisa Ray’s debut book, Close to the Bone, to be published in May 2019, is now available on pre-order

HarperCollins India is pleased to announce supermodel–actor–cancer survivor Lisa Ray’s writing debut, Close to the Bone, which is slated for release in May 2019. An inspiring, riveting read, Close to the Bone is an insightful travelogue of Lisa’s life-changing experiences, which goes beyond the memoir. The book is now available for pre-order on major online retail sites.

Speaking about the book, what moved her to write it, and giving a sneak peek into what lies between the pages, Lisa Ray said, “I was first approached to write a book after I documented my 2009 cancer diagnosis with Multiple Myeloma in a blog called The Yellow Diaries. I have always written. Reading and writing have always been constant features of my nomadic life. Words and quiet observation are how I consume the world, how I get deeper insights, how I make sense of my life and the strange circumstances I have lived through. I wanted to be a writer since childhood but life led me in a different direction, though today I feel I am exactly where I’m meant to be. In one sense, Close to the Bone is not a memoir, but my writing debut. Close to the Bone has taken years and it’s been worth the effort.

When I began writing this book, I realized that my disease did not happen in isolation from the rest of my life. Life and experience have taught me many lessons, and today, I have the ability to honour all the places I’ve been, and a drive to find deeper meaning and truth. Resisting the voices telling you how to live your life is very tough but ultimately the only way to honour ourselves and our time in this world. In writing this book in my 40s, I have the perfect vantage point from which to understand that I am more beautiful for having been broken, and that I am living my best life on my own terms. I see Close to the Bone as an offering. I truly hope that, in sharing the harrowing journey back to myself, I will come out stronger and that the book will make others stronger. It is honest, raw, an attempt to remove the mask we all hide behind. It’s a way to rise in truth and love. It’s my attempt to take back my story and voice – as a woman – and a way to connect with all the wounds and tender aches that make us human. There is humour. And tragedy. And celebration. Just like life.”

Advance praise for Close to the Bone:

‘A thrilling journey inwards as much as outwards … a must read’ – FREIDA PINTO

‘Head-strong, heart-strong prose, and the beauty shines through her bones’ – TISHANI DOSHI

‘Beautiful prose which is accessible, honest, often ironic and heartbreaking all at the same time’ – DEEPA MEHTA

About Close to the Bone:

‘How fortunate it is, when life alters you without warning.’

One of India’s first supermodels. Actor. Cancer survivor. Mother of twins through surrogacy. Woman of no fixed address. This is the story of Lisa Ray. An unflinching, deeply moving account of her nomadic existence: her stumbling into the Indian entertainment industry at sixteen; her relationship with her Bengali father and Polish mother; life on the movie sets and her brush with the Oscars; her battle with eating disorders; being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma at thirty-seven; her spiritual quest; lovers and traitors, mentors and dream-makers; and the heartaches and triumphs along the way. It is also about Lisa’s pursuit of love.

Funny, charming, and gut-wrenchingly honest all at once, Close to the Bone is Lisa Ray’s brave and inspiring story of a life lived on her terms.

About the author:

Lisa Ray’s long and serendipitous career in the modelling and entertainment arts began when, at sixteen, she appeared on the cover of Gladrags, an image that made her an overnight sensation. One of India’s first supermodels, Lisa made several forays into acting, memorably in the Oscar-nominated Water, and television (Top Chef Canada and Oh My Gold). She also starred in Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Afreen Afreen’ video. She was recently seen in the original Amazon series Four More Shots Please! and her upcoming acting releases include A.R. Rahman’s first production, ‘99 Songs’. She has also started her own yoga studio and a line of ethical perfume.

When diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2009, Lisa chose to share her experiences in a blog called ‘The Yellow Diaries’ which led to her memoir, Close to the Bone. She is a well-known advocate for cancer awareness through her writing and public talks. She writes poetry centred on identity and a life of no fixed address. Lisa recently announced the birth of her twin daughters via surrogacy, writing and speaking about it as a way to normalize fertility options and choices for others. She divides her time between Mumbai and the world.